When someone is looking at the Pinot Noir shelves in a bottle shop, they generally don’t look toward the bottom where the ‘cheap’ ones are usually placed. Let’s be honest, to most people who enjoy a Pinot Noir, the price is usually indicative of the quality. Sometimes, that is not always the case.
I can’t remember where I saw this quote ‘Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles‘ (thank you English Author, Sir Thomas Browne) but I noted it, and I feel it had some relevance when it came to this Yalumba Y series Pinot Noir release. It is certainly not a worthless pebble; more like a diamond of the lower priced Pinot Noirs in the rough…if you like.
Region: South Australia Price: $15 Source: Sample thanks kindly to Hill- Smith Family Estates
It’s a youthful, bright and a pretty ruby colour in the glass, giving the impression it’s going to be a light-bodied Pinot Noir and, let’s be honest, at $15 it’s a fair assumption. The aromas certainly exude Pinot Noir with ripe strawberry, dark cherry, slightly floral and a hint of spice all on show. Although it sits in the ‘slightly better than light-bodied’ spectrum, the fruit-driven, fruitful, flavoursome palate made my eyebrows raise as I nodded my head in instant approval. Plump strawberries and juicy dark cherries provide the bulk of the fruit flavours while plum characters add a little weight and a dash of spice to round it out on a pretty good finish. An absolute bargain!
Words from a Wine Glass 